A new PETA ad featuring Ozzy Osbourne makes a gruesome statement about the controversial practice of declawing cats.
A new poster depicts a bespectacled Ozzy in black and white showing six bloody red finger stubs to the camera.
"Never declaw a cat," reads text below. "It's an amputation, not a manicure."
PETA notes in a follow-up that nearly two dozen countries have prohibited or heavily restricted declawing, though the U.S. still lags behind.
Last summer, New York State became the first U.S. state to ban declawing. Similar bills to ban declawing have advanced in other state legislatures, with New Jersey the next most likely state to adopt such measures.
Ozzy added in a follow-up statement via PETA's website that "Amputating a cat's toes is twisted and wrong. If your couch is more important to you that your cat's health and happiness, you don't deserve to have an animal! Get cats a scratching post — don't mutilate them for life."
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne own several dogs and cats and have long worked on behalf of animal rights. This ad is Ozzy's first with PETA.
Declawing remains a point of some contention among veterinarians, though the tide seems to be turning in favor of stopping the practice. Many vets say declawing is a surgery of convenience and provides no benefit to the animal.
Removing a cat's claws is often compared to removing the tips of a human being's fingers, as a cat's claws are essential to its ability to climb, grip things and survive outdoors.
Cat advocates have long warned that declawing a cat renders it almost helpless should it ever get lost or stuck outside.
Ozzy's longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson is also a cat lover and vocal supporter of Los Angeles-based feline rescues.
Photos: PETA and Getty Images